A VERY Happy Anniversary!

May 3, 2008 was one of the most special and remembered days of my life. It was the day Jeremiah and I got married. We had a small, fairly simple wedding right down the road from where we currently live here in Reedsville, and looking back, we wouldn't do anything differently. We realize that it wasn't about the decorations, the flowers, the dress, the cake, or even the ring. It was and is and will always be about the love we have for each other and love God has for us. Of course, I'm not complaining about those other things, and in fact we both were very happy with all of our choices, the choices that made our special day our own.

The third of May this year marked our 3 year anniversary. Three very wonderful years! We've seen and done countless things within these past three years that just naming them would make this blog one of the longest you've ever read. But, I will name a few things that we've done together that are worthy of mentioning... we've had two beautiful daughters, Ava and Audrey, visited Hawaii twice (once to Maui and once to Oahu), visited over a dozen states within the US (including FL, NY, TN), competed in a triathlon, cycled over 40 miles from our house to Fairmont WV (my husband actually competed in a century, which is a 100 mile race... maybe next time we'll to it together), completed several home-improvement projects (including upgrading the master bath), established a photography business (JB gallery), and went on a cruise to the Bahamas. That's just to name a few ;)  We are so very blessed and are even more in love with each other than the day we wed.

This year my hubby surprised me with a beautiful bouquet of a dozen long-stem red roses, chocolate covered pretzels, and our favorite bottle of Cabernet, Clos Du Bois. What a sweetie!

But that wasn't all he had in mind ;) This anniversary will definitely be, by far, one of the most remembered anniversaries..................

Now before you think we've gone and done something impulsive and or drastic even, think again. We've been wanting to do this for quite sometime, and what better time to "give each other something new and exciting" than on our anniversary, right?!

WELL, here's the long and short of it....

We traded in our old vehicles, a Toyota 4Runner and an Acura TL, for a brand new Honda Odyssey and a pre-owned Convertible Mazda MX-5 Miata.

Here's a first (and last) look at our recent vehicles:

Both of these rides have been great vehicles for us. They've not only served as great modes of transportation, they've also offered many luxuries during their years with us, including navigation, towing, blue tooth to name a few. We really did enjoy having both the 4Runner and TL. But, years go by, things change, including the size of our family, and we were ready for an upgrade, so to speak.

First I'll talk a little bit about why we decided to trade in the 4Runner for a Honda Odyssey. The main reason is the need for additional space. And, boy, the Odyssey is loaded with additional space.... in the front, on the sides, in the middle, in the rear. It's got a lot of space, and as a mother of two babies with massive car seats, toys, snacks, etc, I was hooked! The Odyssey offers three rows of seating (8 seats), whereas the 4Runner only had room for 5. Plus, that third row in the Odyssey can be stored away if needed to make, you guessed it!, even more space. And behind the third row is a deep rear that is perfect for transporting groceries, or luggage. Now to name several of the luxuries that the Odyssey offers: Blue tooth, XM radio, Rear view camera, a cool box [for keeping foods and drinks cool :)], MP3/Auxiliary jack (perfect for our IPOD), leather-trimmed seats, heated front seats, Tri-zone automatic climate control, multi-function 2nd row center seat, wide-mode adjustable 2nd row seats with armrests and walk-in feature (perfect for when I have to climb in the back with the girls!), power sliding doors, and much much more including dozens of safety and technical features. So, you can see why we just fell in love with this van. Here's a couple pics to help you visualize what I've described:

Why stop there, right?! We also decided it was time to trade in our Acura TL... for various reasons, but mostly because it was reaching a pretty high mileage. So, after a bit of research, we decided to go with this pre-owned '02 Mazda MX-5 Miata. This baby is in mint condition. With only 19,000 miles, this car is basically brand-new. It's actually never been in the rain! Not only is it a sight for the eyes, it's super fun to drive with it's 6 speed manual transmission. This little sports car only has two seats, so the girls will have to wait until they're older to take her for a spin. It might seem unpractical to have a two-seater car when we have two babies, but that's what the van is for, right?! This is for fun! For date night! And, for just taking a drive without the little ones. So for you car junkies out there, here's some mechanical facts: while weighing in at only 2000 lbs, this car has a torque of 125 ft-lbs @ 5500 rpm and horsepower of 142 hp @ 7000 rpm. As I'm typing this, I honestly have no clue what that means. All I know is that it has some spunk, and it is fast! Need I say more ;)  Now to feed your visual appetite.....

And even though our oldest, Ava, won't literally be getting behind the wheel of this beauty for many many years to come, we couldn't help but snap a  couple shots of her pretending to drive it.

So, I think we'd all agree that this has been quite an anniversary to remember. And, what's really awesome about this whole endeavor is the fact that we now have nicer "mostly more practical" cars with even lower monthly car payments. Go Figure! Extraordinarily enough, the car trade-in amount for our recent vehicles was more than pleasing when the time came to make the trade. And I most definitely can say with no regret, that we are happy we did :)

Let me leave you with one final glimpse of both the Odyssey and Miata, photographed side-by-side. I'd say they're both pretty to look at, wouldn't you agree?!